Rear-axle drive for motor vehicles



Nov. 11

1,514,862 E. RUMPLER REAR AXLE DRIVE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 26 1921 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Rig}.

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Nov. 11

E. RUMPLER REAR AXLE DRIVE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 26 1921-. 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor wd v by 4.). 2, W fitter-my.

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Appilication filed starch 26,1921. serial. no; 4595,857.

(GRANTED'UNDEB T JPROVISIONQ 0F THEgACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 fiTA'EL, 1813.)

To all wiwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND RUMPLER, a subject of the State of Germany, residing at Goggingen, Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Rear-Axle Drive for Motor Vehicles (for which I have filed ap plications in Germany March 11, 1915; December 31, 1917 September 19, 1919; April 1st, 1920; February 13, 1920; Great Britain, July 12, 1920; Holland, July 29, 1920; lltaly, July 1920; Czechoslovakia, July, 1920; France, July, 1920; Belgium, July 10, 1920; and Spain, July, 1920), of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an arrangement for the driving of the rear axle of motor vehicles.

' This invention consists essentially in the fact that a series of arrangements are combined for the purpose of avoiding the use of chains and Gardan joints, while ensuring for the mechanism an efficient suspension and complete protection from dust. For this purpose there are provided two halfaxles, each carrying a driving wheel, and extending without interruption from the drive shaft to the Wheel, these members of the axle pivoting around the main and common driving shaft which is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The differential gear is arranged at the common point of intersection of the axes of the two half-axles and of the driving shaft.

Two cylindrical tubes lying in the same plane perpendicular to the drive shaft and aving pivotal motion about the same as common axis are provided to receive the half-axles.

The accompanying drawingsshow by way of example, a construction according tov the invention:

Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the rear axle with the suspension and other elements.

Figure 2 is a section on the line Tit-H of Figural.

Figure 3 is a plan view partly in horizontal section.

Figure 4: is a detail; and

Figure 5 is a plan view representing another construction.

1 indicates the longitudinal shaft extending directly or indirectly from the motor. 0n this shaft are mounted, on the one hand,

;so that they may have a pivotal movement,"

these elementscarrying attheir outerextremihes the wheels 5 of the vehicle and at their inner extremities the large bevel wheels 6 and 6 which engage with the small bevel wheels 3 and 3. Each half-axle is thus operated by a bevel gear 3, 6, and 3, 6 of which the members havethe apex of their pitch surfaces situated on the pivotal axis of the half-axles, that is to say, in the shaft 1. i I Y The arrangement of the driving wheels of the difierential gear 2 on the longitudinal shaft 1 has the advantage that the pivotal movements of the elements of the axle do not occasion positive or negative accelerations in the mechanism, and that, on the contrary, these movements are directly equalized in the difi'erential.

The half-axles are supported in cylindrical guides 7 which receive the torsion moments due to the reaction.

The present invention permits semblage as a whole, in. a most simple manner, of the casing 8 containing the change speed mechanism and the rear bridge or-casing 9 containing the-coon mechanism of the rear axle, this whole comprising the mechanism which operates the two halfaxles as well as the cylindrical guide members 7. The same body comprises, further, the slides 10 and the suspension springs 11 in such a manner that the complete assembly comprising the speed gear casing, the rear bridge with the elements of the axle, the guide elements and the suspension springs, can he mountedin the chassis of the vehicle without necessity for the separation ofthe. elements.

Figure 2 shows that the assembly constiof. the astuted by the change speed gear casing and the casing of therear bridge and which includes the guide elents of the inner and outer'extremities of the half-axles as well as the suspension springs, forms with the crank case of the motor a complete unit. This crank case is disposed in front of the changespeed gear casing. Tn this'manner the asemblage of all the elements alon the same axis is considerably facilitated. ur-

in V

ther, the mass of the suspended elements connected to the frame of the vehicle is thus considerable, while the mass of the elements which are not suspended, and which are subject to the efiect of the unevenness of the ground (wheels and external members of,

the half-axles) is not, modified. The forces of acceleration which act on the suspended elements and which correspond to the move ments of contraction and extension of the springs of the vehicle, therefore, act upon great masses which can be set into movement, in such a mannerthat the amplitude of the movements which are prejudicial to easy running, is. diminished. The complete whole comprising the motor crank case, the change speed gear box, the rear bridge, the members serving to guide the inner and outer extremities of the half-axles, and the suspension springs can be mounted in a body in the chassis without being divided.

To transmit the thrust of the elements of the axle on the chassis, ball bearings or guide surfaces may be provided to act against the slides, in the form of a channel or slot, mounted on the chassis of the vehicle (Figure 4). This construction can be replaced wheels.

by inclined struts which constitute with the tube enclosingthe elements of the axle a rigid triangle which can pivot about the The sliding friction is transformed into friction of rotation, and, further, the very small movement which still exists is absorbed at a point which can be readily lubricated by the crank case lubricating system. The extremities of the struts 12, are of a cylindrical form to embrace the pivotal axis in the construction represented in Figure 2. This requires a high degree of accuracy in the construction at the point of junction;

In place of this construction, the struts may} be connected to the pivotal axis by a spher ical ]0lI1i3, in suchmanner that the struts can freely take up their positions without beingsubjected to additional forces. it is consequentl .possible in the practical application of t e invention to provide an efiicient combination of the struts which does not require very precise mounting, and in addition, avoids dificult work in the workshops.

Tie-5 shows a suitable spherical con struction. In this figure 12 represents the struts inclined forwardly and rearwardly. 13 the tubes, of the axle carrying the rear 18, the casing enclosing the transmission elements of the driving mechanism.

' The extremities 14 of the struts 12 are at the b spherical cases 15 and 16 between which exterior, and preferably also at the interior,

the the spherical extremities can freely move and occupy positions,correspondingto the forces exerted. in certain cases the spherical form of a spherical form, and are enclosed connection between the latter and the H release ment possessed by t e struts renders the construction quite independent of the imper- I fections of workin the workshop.

The construction of the entire mechanism according to theinvention, and in particular.

the disposition of the whole and the dispo'si tion of the struts, further permits the utilization a elements of the brake gear, of the existing two large bevel. wheels, either directly or throughthe medium of brake discs. It was not possible to employ this braking system in the case of the large bevel wheels which were usually employed, up to the resent, in the rear bridge with the ordinary ardan joint, for this bevel wheel was not connected directly and rigidly to the drivin wheel of the vehicle, the wheel of the derential being, actually, introduced between these elements. A braking system of this kind will not smfice, for it is necessary at the least that a brake shall act only on those parts which are directly and rigidly connected with the rear wheel of the vehicle. The arrangement accordin to the invention satisfies this condition. fly reason of the arrangement of the brakes in the interior of the casing of the rear axle, the advantage is secured that the non-suspended masses carried directly by the wheel of the vehicle are considerably reduced, and it thus becomes more easy to arrange for the operation of the brakes, as they are no longer carried by the non-suspended parts, that is to say, the wheels of the vehicle, but on the con the transmission and difi'erential are carried by the frame which is supported by the springs 11. Under normal load the arrange ment ot the arts is such that the angle between the ax e sections issubstantially that illustrated in Fig. 1. With an increase in load the springs ma bend and the fi'ame, together with the difierential, may take a lower position.

ll cla:

1. Rear wheel drive for motor vehicles, including in combination with a drive shaft extending longitudinally hi the vehicle, two

trary by the driving mechanism wch .is

lid

halt-axles, supporting members in which the half-axles are free to revolve, a casing sugrounding the drive shaft for housin axles and means on the said. casing and to naraeea supporting members for prescribing for the latter a limited circular path of movement about the drive shaft, I

2. Construction accordin to claim 1 in which the means for prescri ing the circulan path includes cylindrical portions on the casing and the supporting members in sliding contact with each other. 7

3. Construction according to claim 1 in which the supporting members are tubular elements substantially co-extensivelwith the half-axles.

4. Rear wheel drive for motor vehicles, including in combination with a drive shaft extending longitudinally of the vehicle, two half-axles, tubular elements substantially coextensive with the half-axles in which the latter are free to'revolve, a casing surrounding the drive shaft for housing the connection between the latter and the half-axles, cylindrical portions on the casing and the tubular elements for prescribing for the latter a limited circular path of movement about the drive shaft and a flexible inclosure between the tubular elements and the casing for protecting the said cylindrical portions against dirt.

5. Arrangement accordingto claim 1 including means constructed and arranged to, transmit the tractional thr'ust from the halfaxles to the chassis of the vehicle while leavin the half-axles entirely free in their angu ar movement about the axis of the drive shaft.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1 including stays extendin rearwardly from the outer ends of the hal -axles and connected for pivotal movement about the axisoif the drive shaft 7. Arrangement according to claim 1 including stays extending rearwardly from the& cute; ends of Elie halffafilles and a em an soc et joint or ivo su rting the stays about the am's of the drive s h ft.

8.1m motor vehicles, the combination of a casing having a cylindrical Welland openingfnon diametrically opposite points in the c drical Wall, bearings exten freely t ough said openings, and cy lndrical flanges on the bearings having sliding contact with the inner and outer surface respectively of said cylindrical wall adjacent the openings whereby the are circularly movable about the axis of the cylindrical wall while maintaining an efiective closure of the casing,

9. In motor vehicles, the combination of a crank case, gear shiftcase and diderential gear case integrally connected to form a single structural unit, the said unit ha a cylindrical wall portion for housing the differential gear mechanism and o nings in opposite sides of the cylindriw housing, bearings extending freely through the openings and cylindrical flanges on the bea having sliding contact with the inner and outer surface respectively of the cylindrical wall adjacent the openings.

EDMUND RUWLER. 

